The following activities will continue to concentrate on the application of basic information concerning the inflammatory process to the study of diseases particularly arthritis and related conditions. These include: (1) detection of immune complexes in patients, determination of their mechanism of interaction with cells with and without complement participation, and analysis of the clinical relevance of such complexes; (2) determination of the role of immunogenetic factors in patients, especially those with inherited immunoglobulin and complement deficiencies, with analysis of and B & T lymphocyte antigens, HLA (& related markers) and other sixth chromosomal markers; (3) further analysis of the acquired abnormalities of the alternative complement pathway in paired synovial fluids and serum and how this system interacts with other humoral and cellular mediators of inflammation; (4) determination of the role of the plasma and urinary kinin-generating and fibrinolytic systems in synovial fluids, plasma and urine of patients with rheumatic diseases, vasculitis and related disorders; (5) analysis of the presence of mast cell derived mediators within the synovial fluid of patients with arthritis; (6) evaluation of the presence and mode of interaction of factors exerting chemotactic, chemokinetic, and inhibitory effects on neutrophils within the synovial fluid; (7) further characterization of the chemical mediators and related cellular events in cutaneous diseases with acquired immunologic abnormalities (immunodermatology); (8) determination of the role of humoral and cellular immunity collagen in patients with various forms of arthritis; (9) further characterization of mediators either released from lymphocytes or affecting lymphocytes; and (10) performance of studies on the effect of radiation in ameliorating rheumatoid synovitis.